Do not want to Ruin Anymore DVD’s

[woolfpak]

Ok here is my equipment:
I have a Sony TRV30 Firewire Digital Camcorder, Apple G4 933mhz quicksilver desktop with superdrive as well as a 1gighz 15” powerbook w/ superdrive. I’m running Final Cut Pro 4.0, DVD Studio Pro 1.5, and also iDVD 3.0. My DVD player is a Samsung M301 and my TV is a Mitsubishi 55” widescreen HD. Also using a Formac converter to convert my old analog 8mm video tapes to digital files for DVD.

Prior to using FCP 4.0 and DVD studio pro, I burnt a few DVD’s of my home videos using iDVD and FCP 3.0 (exporting as a FCP self contained movie) and was unhappy with the quality on my widescreen TV. Some noise and artifacts were appearing. Could this be due to the large digital TV picking up every little detail, the DVD player, or the codec of iDVD? Now that I have FCP 4.0 I’m excited to try the compressor program but want to make sure I’ve got the right settings before I attempt to risk another DVD. I have exported some test clips as mpeg2 with the 60 min high quality setting. When I drop these clips into DVD SP and do a preview, the quality is good but I see interlacing appearing. Will I see this interlacing on my digital TV after I burn a DVD? How true to the final result is the preview I get in DVD SP 1.5? Anyone having the same issues? Any recommendations will deeply be appreciated. I feel I have the tools but just not getting the results I’m capable of. Thanks!!!

[Tommyknocker]

I have a systemic solution rather than a technical one. You could use DVD±RWs instead of DVD±Rs to stop making coasters.

[galactica]

Could this be due to the large digital TV picking up every little detail, the DVD player, or the codec of iDVD?

Most likely its the tv. I take a commercial dvd on my friends 52 inch HD projection screen tv - looks pretty good!
Take the same disk, extracted and archived to dvdr (7.5 gigs down to 4.4 gigs) WOAH! artifacts, blocky blackness ect.....

Put the same disk in my standard 32" Sony Wega Flat tv, looks equal to the dvd.

Why? not sure about specifics, but I equate it to the fact that the plasma tv is "equal" to a comptuer monitor, which they always look like crap on. Thus, i suspect its the tv.

what kind is it?

Now that I have FCP 4.0 I’m excited to try the compressor program but want to make sure I’ve got the right settings before I attempt to risk another DVD. I have exported some test clips as mpeg2 with the 60 min high quality setting.

Take the suggestion of dvd-rw's and you wont loose as many dvdr's

[woolfpak]

My TV is a Mitsubishi 55" High Def. Gold series. Thanks for the replys. I do have a DVD-RW but am having a tough time reusing it. Looks like I'll need to buy another one. I think the codec can help some with my situation, I just want to know the best export settings in compressor from FCP 4 for an mpeg2. And also is what I preview in DVD SP what I'm going to see on my TV? Any successes out there let me know. Thanks....

[galactica]

Your TV is quite large, so that could be part of the problem. what sort of resolution does that TV have???

What do commercial dvd's look like on that TV?
What do commercial dvd's that are archived to dvd5 with dvd2one look like on there?

My understanding is the "preview" button is only there for you to, well "preview" the dvd to make sure it "works" and things are where you want it. You have to remember that your comptuer screen, even more so if you have a flat LCD monitor, wont be equal to a tv - yours maybe?! it depends on your TV resolution.

For most people, thier LCD flatscreen and even CRT Flat or CRT monitor is MUCH higher resolution than their tv, so it always looks worse on the comptuer than on tv.

make since?

[woolfpak]

Will have to get back to you on the resolution. But commercial DVD's play awesome. Also when I hook my DV Camcorder directly to it and play a home video, it looks great also. Its just when I burn a DVD of the same DV home video, it doesn't look as good. Noise and artifacts. What you are saying makes sense with the resolution of TV. I do think the codec has an affect also. Thanks...